The Host Review

In Stephanie Meyer is finally branching off from her Twilight series of love and lust between a vampire and a human. If the Twilight series destroyed and chance of you reading anything by Stephanie Meyer ever again, than open up a little and read her book The Host. Instead of having a cliché mix on Romeo and Juliet, like she did in Twilight, she dives into the genre of science fiction. With a main character that’s in a constant battle with herself, the book spices up internal conflict with some Nabisco.  

                In The Host by Stephanie Meyer, the main character Melanie is taken over by a soul (alien invaders) and her body is being used to do things the soul wants to do. Her case is an unusual one because with most humans once they’re taken over by souls there mind goes with it, but Melanie’s mind stays.

Stephanie Meyer dives into the genre of science fiction and is surprisingly staying afloat despite other reviewers who predicted she would miserably drown. The plot of the story has potential to be confusing but by the way she explains what’s taking place in the story, it’s not confusing. Since this novel is science fiction, most of the book isn’t predictable at all. Most of the characters are plain, and then, there is the exception of a few main characters.  Melanie, Jared, Jamie, Jeb, and Ian are the main characters of the book and the people who you mostly hear about through the book. Most of the characters have the same opinion and act the same because of the circumstances they’re in. The people who I listed are the people who end up having a change of heart throughout the book and become more dynamic characters, based on what they believe in. The way the book is set up it takes you through what’s taking place through the soul’s point of view, than Melanie’s point of view. This adds more depth to the book but it also makes things confusing because at times I wasn’t sure who was talking. The book takes Twilight Zone and mixes it with some modern technology and unpredicted romance, to make a big pot of adventure.

                The overall quality of the novel I thought was startling decent, despite of previous reviews on the book. In the book a scene that shows the depth of her writing is when Melanie first finds her Uncle Jeb’s hideout. At this point of the book Meyer has you thinking that the end is soon and that is going to die in the dessert. She is rescued obviously, or the book would end, but it’s what happens after she is rescued. The way Meyer describes the scene and shows extreme emphasis on how she is dying just shows how she is versatile writer and can successfully write a variety of different scenes.

Despite how excellent I thought the novel was it did have some weak points. The predicament the main character was in made it difficult to understand what she was thinking because she shared a body and mind with a soul. One quote from the book that successfully conveys this confusion is “Quick, grab a rock! Melanie ordered. Why? I can’t do it! Then we’re going to die! She screamed back at me. I can do it! Let Me!” This quote shows the complexity of her writing style, but with complexity, confusion tends to follow. There were multiple points in the book where any reader could become extremely confused. Regardless of this weakness the book was overall very exciting.

In conclusion I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars based on writing craft, style, plot, predictability, and interest level. Since while reviewing the book I only came up with one weakness, it’s fair to rate it what I did. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good action book, science fiction, or post-apocalyptic. It’s not an easy read but it’s definitely worth your time.

Blog #7

A true book in my opinion has to be a book that’s completely true other than dialogue. If a book has fictional events in it that takes away the thrill of knowing everything happened. If things in a non-fiction book aren’t true that defeats the person. Many people enjoy reading non-fiction because they know that they events taking place actually happened and can learn from the book. Since a lot of the times dialogue can be forgotten if you have to paraphrase or completely make something up, it’s fine with me as long as you are still conveying the same idea.

\Half-truths is not okay with me. It’s either the whole thing is true or nothing at all. If you’re reading a book about a story that is half true than how are you supposed to know what’s true and what’s not. I think to really get a feel for the main character of the book you have to know the things going on in the book are true or not true at all. When Frey lied about the contents of his book, I thought it was not only cynical but also unfair to the readers. If you can’t get your book published without lying; then maybe it was never meant to be published. I applaud Oprah and the things she says to him because I think she is speaking on behalf of the readers and the publishing companies. 5% of not being true is too much for me; it’s either 99% true or nothing at all.

Blog 6

Who gets to decide what good writing is?  Who should decide?  Why?

I think the reader and the reader alone should decide if the writing in a book is good. Everyone has their own opinion on a book and even though you make like a book doesn’t necessarily mean someone else will like the book. The adjective “good” is determined by the person reading the book. Good for one person may not be good for another. So when critics completely trash a book I think it’s not fair to the author or future readers because someone might have really enjoyed that book, but won’t anymore because of the bad review it has.

Should we add more genre fiction to the curriculum?

I think we should add more genre fiction to the curriculum so we can put the love back into reading. When I was younger and I could actually choose the books I read I would read all the time and actually enjoy doing. But since seventh grade the amount I read and the joy I get from reading and has dramatically decreased. If we introduced genre fiction into our curriculum I think kids would be more motivated to read. If kids are reading a book everyone else is reading I think they might be more motivated to finish so they can relate to the book and be part of that “in” crowd.

Are you good with swapping out Of Mice and Men for Twilight, for example?  Or Macbeth for Hunger Games?

Personally I’m ok with tit and I don’t see a problem with switching them out. When we do switch them out though, I think we should still study the message those books conveyed and how it relates to modern day. I don’t think we should completely get rid of the classics but I do think we should find a better way to mix modern day with the classics. I think the student should choose personally if they would like to read Macbeth or The Hunger Games and once the students are done, compare and contrast with a student who read the opposite book that you did.

Project 1

My idea is to make a Haunted House based on the home the children in the book lived in. Since at the end of the book the house is bombed they’re parts of the house missing and has an erie glow to it when, the main character Jacob, finds th house. The house would have synical feel to it because it used to be a children’s home so they’re childrens toys and spirits of the children in the house. In the day time it would be transformed into museum were the children’s toys would be put on display and the history of the house would be given out to the tourist.

The Haunted House would come from the scene in the book where Jacob is exploring the woods and comes across the house in the woods. Since the home is located it on a small, few populated island it was very obvious when he found the home. In the book the author describes this by saying “Trees burst forth from broken windows and skins of scabrous vine gnawed at the walls like anti-bodies attacking a virus-as if nature itself had waged war against it- but the house seemed unkillable, resolutely upright despite the wrongness of its angles and the jagged teeth of sky visible through sections of collapsed roof. The museum would come from the scene in the book where Jacob travels through a loop (a place that let’s you travel forward or backward to only one time period). When he enters the loop he is on the island almost 100 years before him. While he is exploring the island this time though he encounters a beautifully kept home were children are playing in the yard. The house is actually occupied and look very much alive. The museum would display pictures of the home before the bombs destroyed it and other sentimental things the house had. The museum would have a friendly welcoming glow to it just like how the house looked before it was bombed. The author describes the house by saying “I gazed at in wonder-not because it was awful, but because it was beautiful. There wasn’t a shingle out of place or a broken window.” Near the end of the book trouble comes to the children and Miss Peregrine and they aren’t able to reset the loop, so instead of their house never being bombed, it’s bombed. When the children return to the house there are parts of it missing and smoke rising from the house. Parts of their house is on fire and the backyard is destroyed. In the book they describe the house by saying “Once the children had said goodbye to theirhouse, some taking chips of brick or flowers from the garden as forget-me-nots, we made one last trip across the island: through the smoking charred woods and the flat bog dug with bomb holes, over the ridge and down through the little town with peat smoke”.

            I think my idea will work because it let’s the readers become more connected to the book by letting them experience a real life connection with the main setting. By opening a haunted house it wold broaden the audience by capturing people who enjoy scary and suspenseful books and also the audience who enjoys reading about children and the obstacles they have to overcome. By having a haunted house at night and a museum by day it captures both audiences in the same location. People who enjoy reading about historical fiction my also enjoy this because the setting is in the heart of WW1. This idea encourages fans to stay connected with the book because it allows them to put their ideas and images they imagined, into real life. The fans can have the questions they still had at the end of the book answered. The pictures throughout the book will have background information as to where they were found and the story behind them. 

Shutter Island

Blog Post #4

Some specific challenges the director would have in adapting Shutter Island is the location. Since the setting of the book takes place on an island surrounded by 3 miles of water on each side it might be hard choosing a location. The island has an eerie feel to it so there would need to be high amounts of fog being produced throughout the movie. Since a lot of the characters are patients from a mental institution the casting of actors might be difficult. The people involved in the story have been through a lot so the actors playing them will have to show that when they speak. Since the beginning of the book was confusing to me, I think there should be a narrator explaining to the viewer’s what’s going on. If not I think some of the viewers will be confused as to what’s taking place.

                The half of the book that I’ve read so far I think at least four scenes should be kept in the book, but I’m only going to list three. The first scene in the book that I think the director should keep is in when Marshal Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule arrive to Ashecliffe Hospital. When they arrive on the boat they share background information about each other’s lives and how they ended up on the boat investigating the missing patient. This background information helps tie up all of the strings together at the end of the book. The next scene they need to keep in the movie is when the 2 detectives are talking to the hospital staff and other patients about what they remember about the missing patient. When he asks certain questions the hospital staff and patients all have the same answers and reactions which raise questions. The last scene they should include in the movie is when the warden Cauley shows them a sheet of paper they find behind the missing patients dresser. The piece of paper later leads them to the truth behind the whole mystery.

                Two specific parts of the book they should cut out is when they search around the island for the missing patient. They should cut this part out because they don’t end up finding her on the island. It’s a distraction the reader and it would be to the viewer’s too. The next scene they should cut out is when Marshal Teddy Daniels decides to leave the island because he is just bluffing and ends up not following through with it.

What A Book Is To Me

A Book is an escape. I think a book is a gateway into a story that you would have never heard of if you hadn’t read the first page. To me a book is an outlet. Just how music is an outlet to some people, and running to others; reading a book is mine. You’re in a sense leaving the world you’re in, and simply reliving someone else’s. When I’m reading I get so involved in the book I am completely oblivious to what’s going on around me. So I guess you could say my outlet works. Forgetting about my problems and realizing the person in my book has problems ten times worse than mine, is almost a relief.

                I agree with Joe Meno’s opinion on what a book is. I like reading books because I get to imagine them and create a world that I WANT to see. That’s one reason why I like reading the book before watching the movie. If you watch the movie first, it alters you’re horizon of your imagination. It automatically put images in your head that maybe you don’t agree with. I agree cause I think no matter how you’re reading it, you’re still reading: and that’s what matters. I disagree with Tom Piazza’s point of view because I think no matter which way you’re reading you still had to formulate an image of what’s happening in the book. As long as you’re intrigued and can still imagine, I don’t see where the problem is.

                I think every book has a different spin to it, and a different story. It forces you’re mind to imagine situations and make inferences of things you would never have to think of. Like in The Hunger Games, I’ve never been put in a situation where I have to fight to the death. But that’s where the fun part comes in. You get to imagine fighting till death, and what you yourself would do if put in those situations. Without realizing it you’re learning. Learning about survival techniques, learning about how people formulate opinions, just learning! Once you a close a book, you’re left some new information, and a sweet satisfaction that you finished reading it.